Best Friends For Never
by Lomcat93
Summary: Will Ratchet and Clank ever really be best friends? Takes place during R&C 1.


_Author's Note: Ok, I know that I'm not the only person that was surprised by the change in Ratchet's personality in R&C 2. But in the first game, I always felt bad for poor Clank; Ratchet was always so spiteful to the poor bot. So I've written this fic in Clank's POV while he discusses his thoughts on Ratchet's attitude. R&R when you're finished, please!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank; Insomniac Games does.**_

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**Best Friends For Never**

Clank glared furiously as Ratchet turned his back on him. They had been arguing again, this time about traveling to Pokitaru. Clank did not want to go; he knew it was just going to be a huge distraction for the already distracted Lombax. But Ratchet, being his stubborn and fun loving self, did not want to take Clank's 'no' for an answer. Clank stood where he was, continuing to glare as the Lombax took his seat in their ship. The robot still did not understand why Ratchet was so stubborn. Granted, the new robot did not really understand much in this strange universe, but something as simple as mood swings should not be too hard to decipher, right? Wrong; Clank seemed to have the most trouble with understanding other's emotions. Clank did not even understand his own emotions yet.

Ratchet's attitude was just unacceptable though. The only time that Ratchet had ever listened to Clank was when he first requested his help. Sometimes Clank thought Ratchet only helped him because he needed help with his ship, and Clank was the only one around to offer that assistance. His constant negative attitude was starting to annoy the tiny robot; Clank had actually considered lashing out at Ratchet with harsh words, but he always caught himself. There was no need to reduce himself to that creature's level, too. So, whenever Clank thought about using hurtful words, he would use his brain to combat the Lombax's fiery temper.

_'Perhaps the extra oxygen would allow your brain to function properly.'_

The thought of insulting someone else made Clank's gears grind, but sometimes it was necessary. And besides, it was Clank's only form of defense; he did not have the size or strength advantage to confront the Lombax physically. But Clank had an advantage in intelligence. If he was smart, then he would not require Clank's assistance in translating wordy phrases. So Clank looked for every opportunity to beat Ratchet when it came to brains.

Clank could have won their most recent argument, if Ratchet had not come up with a stinging retaliation:

_'Yeah, and maybe the salt water'll rust your mouth shut.'_

Many of Ratchet's insults had discouraged the robot, but none cut as deep as this one. Clank could not comprehend why this one hurt him so much; it was not much different from the others. Perhaps it was because Clank had fought back, even though he still suffered a miserable loss. Or maybe it was due to Ratchet's unusually harsh tone. Whatever the reason was, the come-back had burned like...well, like salt water.

What surprised Clank the most about their arguments was the intense emotions he always felt when Ratchet spoke bitterly to him. Ratchet's carelessness always caused him to become so enraged that he could literally feel his radiator core shake. Every moment of sadness had left the bot feeling as if his CPU had been ripped from his chest; he felt completely empty and useless.

Currently, Clank was experiencing a particularly deep sadness. Bleakness overtook the robot's usually bright mind. As the engine of the ship roared to life, Clank shakily sat down on the floor, rather than taking his seat up front. The poor bot felt completely helpless; Clank recognized this feeling as depression, but he could not fathom exactly _why _he was depressed. He was a robot after all; there was no such thing as depression in the metallic mind of a robot.

Clank dared to glance at the cockpit of the tiny ship. The only visible part of the Lombax was his tail, which flicked joyfully back and forth, teasing the tiny bot. Clank's eyes narrowed into a ferocious glare. How could Ratchet flick his tail around happily when a crushed soul sat not three feet away? Clank grunted angrily before turning away with his arms crossed.

"What a great friend I chose," he growled, loud enough for Ratchet to hear.

When he heard no response, Clank smiled a little. Perhaps he had finally won!

"Who ever said we were friends?"

Clank's mind fell back into that numb bleakness in a split second. Had the Lombax really insulted him again? He turned slightly and saw Ratchet's hostile eyes looking back at him. Clank turned back around, feeling distraught.

..._I guess he has won again._

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_...Man, I really hate how I ended that. xP But the rest of the story was decent, I think._

_Alright, now's the time to review! Thanks for reading!_


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